Selma City Council wants information on tourism grant and downtown bar safety

The Selma City Council will be looking at what it takes to enhance tourism and entertainment in the Queen City.

Tuesday the city council will hear details on a $500,000 grant to create an Innovative Tourism Hub on Water Avenue. The city must match almost $57,000 to cover personnel, equipment and advertising for the project.

As reported in the Black Belt News Network in December 2023, the grant includes a $115,000 electric trolley, a $38,000 pedal bus and four pedal taxies that will cost $20,000 each. Twelve employees will be required to run the center and operate the vehicles.

The city expects the trolley, pedal taxi tours and pedal bus to generate almost $300,000 in revenue from 3,500 tourists and their families, according to the grant request.

At the Selma City Council’s Oct. 9 work session, Councilperson Jannie Thomas said she had questions about how the city would pay for 12 additional employees called for in the grant. President Pro Tem Clay Carmichael said the council will ask Planning Director Danielle Wooten to explain the grant at the council’s Oct. 14 meeting.

The city council also discussed safety issues that are holding back the city’s ability to attract visitors downtown.

Clyde Richardson told the council at their Oct. 9 work session that unruly patrons are gathering around Water Street on weekend nights. Richardson said by state law patrons must either go into a club or leave the premises. But in Selma, people just gather around Water Street, and trouble often breaks out.

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Richardson said someone was shot during the weekend of Oct. 4.

“It’s an unsafe act to be in downtown Selma at night,” said Richardson, who has a club license but never opened the club.

City Councilman Michael Johnson said a task force of the Selma Police Department, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and the state should be called in.

“We need somebody that don’t mind going into these danger zones,” Johnson said.

Councilperson Christie Thomas suggested referring the issue to a committee so the council could hear more about the issue and come up with solutions.

The council will also consider a policy to give city employees a one-time pay increase based on their years of service. Employees would receive $100 for their first year of service, $250 for up to five years of service, $400 for up to 15 years of service, $600 for up to 20 years of service, $700 for up to 25 years of service and $800 for more than 25 years of service.